7 interesting facts about counselling and what to expect
You may be feeling low and need to talk, or you may be going through something that needs to be explored. Whatever it is, we’re here to help and the below counselling facts might just help you decide on picking the right counselling service for you.
Counsellors can’t give a specific date on which you’ll start to feel better
As a counsellor, I understand that people just want to feel better as quickly as possible, however it’s different for every person and there isn’t a set timeframe on how long the process will take. Results aren’t instant, but if you invest in the journey with the right counsellor then the pay-off will come over time.
Counselling can uncover things that you weren’t expecting to talk about
Usually there is a specific reason why people come to therapy. In the process of talking through this problem, often there are other things that pop up. This is a natural part of therapy: as we explore on a deeper level, different things bubble to the surface. It may have been unknown to you at the start of counselling, but it appears for a reason.
Silence can be good
A lot of people develop a fear of silence as it feels uncomfortable or “wrong.” Within a counselling session, silence can sometimes be necessary for you to collect your thoughts, or to process something that has come to light. If you need to take some time or feel like you can’t articulate, then silence is useful and a counsellor will be respectful of this.
Counsellors don’t have any judgments or expectations
A good counsellor doesn’t judge, but they also don’t make you feel pressured or place any unnecessary expectations on you. Counselling isn’t about getting you to a place where the counsellor thinks you should be; it’s about getting you to a place that you’re happy with.
You have to commit time and energy for counselling to be successful
Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic wand that can heal everything within one 50-minute session; it takes patience and commitment from both the counsellor and the client. It requires being open to the process and being willing to explore within the session, but also thinking about things in your own time and implementing strategies if necessary, outside of the therapeutic space.
The counsellor is likely to have heard similar problems before
People often feel nervous at the prospect of sharing their problem with a counsellor. What if it sounds ridiculous? What if I’m a freak for thinking this way? What if there’s something wrong with me? What if everything that’s happened is my fault and I’m a bad person? They’ll think I’m a weirdo if I tell them this.
From my perspective as a counsellor, it is always worth saying it. The likelihood is, I will have heard a similar problem before, or I will have read about it or researched it. Your thoughts, experiences, feelings and concerns are ALWAYS valid. Every individual is different, but often there are common themes that reappear. You aren’t alone in how you’re feeling.
There is no “correct” way for a session to go
Counselling is a natural process and is led by the client, bringing whatever it is that they want to talk about. As a result, every counselling session with every client flows differently. There is no right or wrong topic to talk about, and no right or wrong amount of time to spend on a topic. As long as you feel that the session was beneficial, that’s all that matters.